News: Flybe criticise Birmingham runway proposals
Flights > News > # 959 (15/09/2006)
One of Flybe's most senior executives has criticised Birmingham International airport’s plans to build a second runway.
In an exclusive interview with Flightmapping.com, the budget airline’s chief commercial officer, Mike Rutter, said Birmingham has more important priorities to sort out before deciding whether or not to build another runway and questioned whether they had the finances to undertake such an ambitious project.
“ The airport really has to work out what is marketing strategy is going to be, and what direction they want Birmingham to go in. Flybe has always supported the development of regional airports, and we think there are cases for new runway developments - but if you look at somewhere like Edinburgh, there is a much better case for a new runway there then there is in Birmingham,” Rutter said.
Asked about plans for a new terminal at Coventry airport – which has been met with bitter opposition from Birmingham – Rutter had no concerns about the development or about the airspace conflict which Birmingham had alleged would hamper its own chances of expanding further. He also said that Flybe would be unlikely to ever consider moving its base from Birmingham to Coventry.
He said: “Birmingham airport is just much better located for the kind of routes that we operate. We don't know what the long-term future of (Coventry-based) Thomsonfly will bring, but I think there will always be a case for the kind of budget flights which are currently available from Coventry. It is important for us to be as close as we can to the major population and business centres, and Birmingham airport's location next to its own railway station and the NEC is extremely important for us. There could be be some possibility of us operating flights from one of our other bases into an airport like Coventry, but our main focus in the Midlands is always likely to remain in Birmingham."
Rutter also joined calls made by Easyjet and Ryanair for the British Airports Authority (BAA) to be broken up, saying that airports within 90 minutes drive time of each other should not share common ownership.
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